Used car guide

2020 Land Rover Defender: common problems and MOT failures

What MOT testers find on the Land Rover Defender first registered in 2020: we looked at the 12,279 MOTs these cars had during 2023–2025. Plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

12,279MOTs of 2020 cars, done in 2023–2025
90%pass first time (all 2020 cars: 87%)
9,400typical miles a year
1.9×the usual rate for windscreen

What goes wrong more than usual on a 2020 Land Rover Defender?

Parts flagged at MOT more often on the 2020 Land Rover Defender than on all cars registered in 2020.

  • Windscreen1.9× usual
    Land Rover Defender
    3.1% All 2020 cars
    1.6%

    Failed outright at MOT: 0.1%, against 0.1% of all 2020 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £60–£300 our estimate

    At the viewing: Check for chips or cracks in the driver's view.

Common 2020 Land Rover Defender MOT failures and advisories

The share of 2020 Land Rover Defender MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Tyres
    17% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brakes
    13% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Lights and electrics
    4% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    4% of testsRough price £15–£250

    At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

  • Seats and seatbelts
    2% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

  • Suspension
    1% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

Questions to ask the seller before buying a 2020 Land Rover Defender

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the windscreen? (Flagged at MOT 1.9× as often on the 2020 Land Rover Defender as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a Land Rover Defender?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, mileage and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Other years

Every year of the Land Rover Defender compared

YearMOT testsMost flagged
2026–Too new for MOT data
2025–Too new for MOT data
2024–Too new for MOT data
2023537Tyres 6%
202210,203Tyres 16%
202117,002Tyres 16%
2019–Too few tests
20165,261Lights and electrics 15%
201519,432Lights and electrics 20%
201417,088Lights and electrics 23%
201312,768Lights and electrics 25%
201211,306Brakes 28%
201111,624Suspension 30%
201011,575Suspension 33%
200910,173Suspension 33%
200810,886Suspension 35%
200711,637Suspension 37%
200611,053Suspension 37%
200512,217Suspension 38%
200412,468Suspension 38%
200312,878Suspension 40%
200211,308Suspension 39%
20019,187Suspension 37%
20008,758Suspension 39%
19998,816Suspension 38%
199810,222Lights and electrics 38%
19979,907Lights and electrics 38%
199610,192Lights and electrics 39%
19958,468Lights and electrics 40%
19946,806Lights and electrics 40%
19935,523Lights and electrics 37%
19924,355Lights and electrics 37%
19915,001Lights and electrics 39%
19904,751Lights and electrics 37%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, counting the MOTs of Land Rover Defender cars first registered in 2020. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score